Moments Like This
by MoonAngelNine
Summary: A series of events in Kyle's life causes him to re-evaluate his feelings for his friend Kenny.
1. Chapter 1

_This is already completed and will be posting once a week._

* * *

**Chapter One**

"Our teachers are so fucking lame," Cartman said as he colored on part of the poster board closest to him.

"If someone hadn't pointed out that we haven't done much all year, we would have been in the clear," Kyle said from his spot on the floor while he typed up their paper on his laptop.

Stan sighed from his spot on the floor. "Don't start you two. Prom's only a few days away and I don't want to disappoint Wendy."

"Jesus, Cartman. Don't you write about anything else?"

Cartman looked over to where Kenny was sitting, his eyes bugging out when he saw the red notebook in Kenny's hands. He looked to where he had left his book bag and saw if was half spilled out. "What the fuck, Kenny! That shit's private."

Kenny smirked at the other boy and threw the notebook at him. "Calm your tits, fat ass. Once I figured out you were waxing poetic about Bebe's chest, I quit reading. After the third page."

"You're just jealous that she's going with me to prom." Cartman pointed a finger at Kenny and nodded his head. "No one likes a charity case!"

Kenny laughed. "Not a charity case since we won the settlement, dumb ass." Kenny leaned back against the wall. "Besides, I don't want any bitches holding me down."

Kyle looked aver his reading glasses and smiled. "Dude, you have got to quit watching daytime talk shows." He pointed to a scribble on the page. "C'mere and tell me what this word is."

Kenny scooted over and squinted as he looked at the part that had his contribution to the paper. "Infallibly—I think." He watched over Kyle's shoulder for a minute , watching as Kyle's fingers flew over the keys of the keyboard. After a few moments, he looked back at Stan and said, "You must have the inside scoop. Did Bebe say yes out of pity?"

Cartman glared at Kenny and said, "She asked me, you fucker."

Kenny rubbed his chin, absently scratching at the peach fuzz growing there. "I see. She must've lost a bet."

Cartman flipped him off, provoking laughter out of the other teen. He went back to coloring the letters with a fat marker.

Kenny's laughter died down and he Kyle grinning at him over the top of his laptop. He leaned back against the wall and asked, "You planning on going with anyone, Kyle?"

"Nope. Not really anyone I wanted to go with," he said with a shrug.

"Their loss." Kenny softly hummed to himself, stopping when he caught Cartman staring at him. He grinned at his corpulent friend and asked, "What's jumped up your ass?"

Cartman narrowed his eyes at Kenny. "Just trying to figure out what makes you happy enough to hum that awful Kesha song."

Kenny frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "Nothing you need to worry about." His frown morphed into a grin. "Not when Bebe might be taking you as a joke."

The marker dropped from Cartman's hand. "Knock it off, Kenny."

An eyebrow was raised in challenge as Kenny's grin grew wider. He batted his eyelashes at the bigger boy. "But, Eric, I'm only looking out for you. I wouldn't want your feewings to get hurt."

"That does it, you poor piece of shit." Cartman rose and moved toward the door. "Let's take this outside so I can properly beat your ass."

Stan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Will you two knock it off? We need to finish this."

Kenny just grinned from his spot on the floor.

Cartman sat back down with a small pout, then went back to coloring. For a few minutes the only sounds in the room was the sound of keys being pressed and markers scratching across the board. Cartman let out a sigh full of frustration and threw his marker down. He pulled his cell phone out and said, "I'll be back." He pointedly looked at Kenny as he said, "I need to go make a phone call."

Once Cartman stepped out, Stan grabbed a pillow off his bed and threw it at Kenny. "What was that all about?"

Kenny deftly caught it and put it behind his head. "Just wanted to prove something to both Bebe and the fat ass." He then turned and grinned at Kyle. "Now that the fat ass isn't here to torture you, I have something to ask you."

Kyle looked up from the paper. "Sure. Ask away."

"Is the person you wanted to go with already taken?"

Kyle shook his head and went back to typing. "There honestly isn't anyone I'm interested in."

"We could go together."

Kyle whipped his head around to look at a grinning Kenny. A soft chuckle escaped him as the other boy made a face at him. "Is that your nice way of asking for a ride?"

"You wound me." Kenny placed his right hand over his heart and mimed the act of dying. "Right in the feels."

"You're such a drama queen." Kyle smirked. "Just make sure you're here in time to leave." He strained his ears and frowned when he heard Cartman cooing into his phone. "I wonder what she's saying to him."

Kenny put his hands behind his head and leaned back against the pillow Stan threw at him earlier. "I don't want to know, but I'm sure mention of her being a chubby chaser has come up or he wouldn't be in such a good mood."

Stan snickered into his hand. "Are you sure? Bebe doesn't seem the type."

Eyes solemn, Kenny turned his gaze to the door. "Part of the reason we broke up."

A look passed between Kyle and Stan. When Kenny and Bebe had broken up freshman year, he refused to say anything about it, even going as far as to tell Cartman to leave him alone. Kyle reached out and patted Kenny on the knee. "Are you alright with Cartman taking her to prom?"

Kenny forced a smile to his face. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Kyle cracked a smile. "Especially since I'm going to be your wing man."

Kenny's smile turned genuine when he saw Cartman reenter the room with a smile on his face. "I think you better leave the wing manning to me."

* * *

"Sorry my mom forced the boutonniere on you, dude."

Kenny ran his fingertips over the petals of the flower pinned to the lapel of his jacket. "It's alright. It's awfully nice of her."

Kyle hummed as he pulled into a parking spot at the Community Center. Then groaned when he spotted Wendy and Stan making out in the backseat of Stan's car. He exited the car and tapped on the window, causing the couple to jump. He rolled his eyes when they both flipped him off. He motioned toward the door and said, "See you lovebirds inside."

From behind him, Kenny said, "Wendy might want to straighten her dress." He flashed her a grin then motioned toward his chest and said, "Nice tits, Testaburger."

Kyle pulled the cackling teen away as they watched Stan hastily pull up the top of Wendy's dress. As they entered the doors, Kyle could feel the bass of the song playing throughout his body. He waved to a few of his friends and headed to the sign in table. His and Kenny's names were checked off the list, then they were given a ballot to vote for the prom court. He didn't know any of the seniors, so he circled two random names. Unsure of who to vote for, he asked Kenny, "Who're you voting for?"

"Bebe and the fat ass and myself as jester." He looked at Kyle's paper. "Why don't you vote for Stan and Wendy for Prince and Princess, then you can put me down for jester." He smiled and winked at the girl watching over the ballot box. "That way I'll have two votes."

Grinning, Kyle did as he suggested. "There. Now your fragile ego's been boosted." He looked across the dance floor and spotted Bebe and Cartman dancing together. He pointed at the couple and said, "Let's join them."

Kenny followed Kyle through the throng of people, moving toward the spot the redhead had originally spotted the couple. He threw his arms around Cartman and asked, "Were you planning on saving a dance for me?"

Cartman stiffened for the half-second before he recognized Kenny's voice. He pulled Kenny's arms off him and said, "All of my dances are taken unless Bebe takes pity on you losers."

Kyle caught Cartman's frown as she pulled him into a hug. He remembered her comment from fourth grade about being able to bounce a quarter off his ass and blushed. He cleared his throat and asked, "Having a good time?"

"The best!" She pulled away from him and cuddled into Cartman's side. "Eric's been a wonderful date."

Kenny snickered at Cartman's blush at the compliment. "Don't pay him too many compliments. His head might explode."

Bebe fixed him with a glare. "For that comment, no dance for you."

Kyle swayed to the music as he quietly watched the bickering between his fiends, keeping his thoughts to himself. His eyes lit up when he spotted Wendy and Stan coming toward them. He waved them over and quickly struck up a conversation with Stan. "Did you guys vote yet?"

"Yeah. Lemme tell you, the girl that's guarding the box looks shifty." He leaned into Kyle and said, "She kept trying to hurry me along."

Wendy leaned into Stan and said, "She was hurrying you along because she'd like to enjoy some of the prom too."

Kyle could feel the envy growing in his gut as he watched the couples cuddle one another. It wasn't that he didn't want a date, it's that all the girls that asked him didn't appeal to him _that_ way.

He felt someone wrap an arm around him and turned his head to find Kenny grinning at him. He gave into the infectious enthusiasm and smiled back.

"Ready to show these losers how to dance?"

Kyle chuckled and nodded his head. "Hell, why not?"

Kenny kept him on the dance floor most of the evening, having all four of the guys twerking at one point and egging Kyle on to 'shake his money-maker'. When the names for the court were called, Wendy and Stan won Prince and Princess by a small margin. He caught Cartman squeezing Bebe's hand and telling her that they'd win next year.

When Kenny was announced as the jester, he stripped his jacket off and whirled it over his head, getting a chuckle from everyone. As the floor was cleared so the court could have a dance, Kenny turned to Kyle and asked, "Dance with me?"

Kyle shrugged and said, "Sure, why not?"

Kenny took his hand and led him onto the dance floor. When they were facing one another, Kenny asked, "Do you know how to waltz?"

Kyle nodded. "My mom made me learn for my bar mitzvah, but I never learned to lead."

"That's okay." Kenny smiled and helped Kyle get into the right dancing frame. "Karen made me learn how to when she went through her ballroom dancing phase."

Knowing Kenny would do anything for his little sister, Kyle wisely kept his mouth shut as he followed Kenny's lead around the dance floor. He was impressed by how fluidly they moved. "You're pretty good at this."

"Do I detect a tone of surprise?" Kenny grinned as he led them away from Stan, who was trying his best not to step on Wendy's toes. He wiggled his eyebrows at Kyle as he said, " I'm gonna dip you."

Kyle's eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. "Dip me and you can walk home."

"Might be worth it," he said, a twinkle in his eye. He didn't do it though.

When the dance was over, Kyle walked over to where Cartman and Bebe were sitting and caught the calculating glint in Cartman's eye. He ignored the other boy, settling for smiling at Bebe. "I'm sure if you ask Kenny nicely, Kenny might take you out for a spin."

"That's okay," she said brightly. "I'm not very good at following someone else's lead."

Kenny handed Kyle a drink and sat down beside the redhead, eyebrow raising in question when he caught Cartman's gaze. He took a drink from his cup then said, "Not now."

"Fine." Cartman crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll talk about it later."

Used to the strange unspoken communication that the two friends had, Kyle sat back and rested his weary feet. He finished his drink then nudged Kenny with his elbow. "I'm beat. You ready to go?"

"Yeah." He looked over at Cartman when he heard Bebe try to stifle a giggle and caught his friend miming a blow job. He flipped him off and said, "You wish, fat ass."

Kyle didn't like the smug look that crossed Cartman's face. It was a look that spelled trouble. They walked out to his car in silence with Kyle breaking it by saying, "I'm still not sure how you got all of us to twerk."

Kenny stood by the door, waiting for Kyle to unlock it. "The only one I really had to convince was Stan." When he heard the click of the door lock, he opened the door and slid inside. He continued once Kyle was inside of the vehicle. "Cartman would do it for Bebe, and you would do it if Stan did it. So I convinced Stan that Wendy would find it hot."

Kyle shook his head at Kenny's explanation and began the short drive to Kenny's house. When they arrived, Kyle let out a little sigh at the darkened windows. He turned to Kenny and said, "Thanks for the good time. I'll see you Monday."

Kenny exited the car and gave Kyle a little wave. "See ya."

Kyle watched Kenny go into his house before he drove home. He pulled into his driveway and looked at his phone before he went inside.

He received a text from Cartman.

**I no kenny's secret. Do u?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Kyle ignored the text.

And the next five that were of the same vein. He finally texted back: **Don't Care**. And Cartman left him alone; for now that is.

Kyle noticed a change in Kenny on Monday. His normally upbeat friend was withdrawn and pale, seemingly sleepwalking through his classes. After lunch, he asked him, "Dude, are you okay?"

Kenny mustered up a fake smile. "Sure, Kyle. Everything's fine."

Kyle winced at the way Kenny's voice cracked as he spoke. He stabbed at a green bean and said, "If this is about the secret Cartman keeps trying to tell me, don't worry about it. I won't believe it unless you tell me."

A little color returned to Kenny's cheeks at Kyle's pronouncement. "Cartman's trying to tell my secrets? He doesn't know shit." He spotted Cartman and glared at him as he gave Kenny a little wave. He turned back to Kyle and said, "Whatever that fat fuck thinks he knows is complete bullshit."

Kyle chewed his food as he nodded. "I know what you mean. Last year he had some of the freshman convinced Stan and I were gay lovers with Wendy as Stan's beard."

Kenny chuckled and shook his head. "I didn't know that was his work. I thought one of the girls had gotten jealous of their relationship and was spreading rumors to break them up."

"That's probably why it was repeated as often as it was." Kyle watched the far-away look enter Kenny's eyes again. "You know you can talk to me about anything that's bothering you, right?"

Kenny nodded, not bothering to fake a smile. "I know; I'm just not in the mood to talk about it."

"What're you being so serious for?"

Kyle looked up at Cartman, eager to wipe the grin off the other boy's face. "I was just telling Kenny about this awful blow job I got last week. Bitch was supposed to be good at it too."

Cartman caught the twinkle in Kenny's eye, but asked his question anyway. "So who is the bitch?" He shiftily looked around to make sure no one could hear him. "Don't want to get a bad blow job."

Building suspense, Kyle finished his lunch and gathered his tray. He rose and looked back at Cartman over his shoulder. "Your mom."

Both Kenny's laughter and Cartman's roar of fury could be heard throughout the cafeteria.

* * *

Kenny ditched school on Tuesday.

He showed up on Wednesday sporting a black eye. He waved it of saying he had gotten into a fight with Kevin and hadn't ducked in time. He didn't look Kyle in the eye as he told him the story, choosing to fiddle with the zipper of his hoodie instead.

Kyle didn't push. But Cartman did.

"That's bullshit," Cartman said as he pointed a fat finger at Kenny's eye. "Kevin hasn't been able to plant on on you since you hit puberty. If you said your dad did that, I might believe it since he can be pretty fucking fast when he wants to be."

Kenny took a bite of his sandwich and glared at Cartman. "Mind your own business, fat ass."

Cartman smiled with a glint in his eye, knowing he was starting to push buttons. "Oh, Kenny. Now's not the time to be bashful. I'm sure Kahl would just love to know what's going on."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Leave me out of this."

Cartman turned to Kyle, his voice turning sickeningly sweet. "Don't you think you have the right to know. I'm pretty sure it involves you." He turned back to Kenny, his smile turning feral. "Right, Kenny?"

"Fuck you." Kenny stood and walked out of the cafeteria, slamming the door behind him.

Kyle whirled around at Cartman. "What the fuck was that about?"

"Someone needed to help him get the sand out of his vagina." Cartman used his hands to make a shooing motion. "Now be a good little Jew and figure out what put the sand there."

Kyle flipped him off, but he went in search of his friend anyway. Frustrated when he couldn't find him before the bell rang, Kyle swore and kicked his locker.

He spent the rest of the school day worrying about Kenny. When the final bell rang, he bolted out of the classroom and resumed his search. Kyle could barely contain the sigh of relief that left him when he found him sitting in the bleachers, his knees drawn to his chest and gazing in the distance as if he was in deep thought. Kyle texted his mom to let her know where he was so she wouldn't worry, then climbed the bleachers and sat next to Kenny, settling in for a wait.

After sitting in silence for ten minutes, Kenny finally spoke up. "I'm not suicidal."

The breeze ruffled Kyle's hair, the late spring air filling him with a feeling of hope, making him think Kenny was ready to talk. "You never struck me as the type of person to contemplate it."

A watery chuckle escaped from Kenny's lips, surprising them both. "Good to know someone has faith in me." He dropped his forehead to his knees and mumbled, "My mom has breast cancer. Found out on Sunday."

In order to fight the urge to give Kenny a hug, Kyle sat on his hands and looked straight ahead. "That sucks."

"Yeah." Kenny turned his head to look at Kyle. "Cartman was right about the black eye, though. Kevin didn't give it to me." He sighed as he tried to hold back tears. "I stayed home with Karen on Tuesday then went looking for a fight."

Thinking back to his mother's own fight with breast cancer, Kyle chocked back tears of his own. "I know how you feel, but fighting doesn't help."

"I know, but it made me feel better for a little while." He stared off in to space, lost in his thoughts. "Did you ever feel like it was your fault?"

He thought for a minute and tried to remember how he had felt those first few weeks after hearing about his mother's diagnosis. Then about how he felt while she went through chemotherapy and Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"You understand then." Kenny looked over the football field and watched the light play over the grass.

They sat in silence a little while longer, both caught off guard when Kyle's cell phone dinged. "Sorry," Kyle said as he read the message from his mom. He smiled at the message inviting Kenny to dinner. "The way to get through it is one day at a time." He put his hand on Kenny's shoulder. "I'll be with you the whole way."

Kenny turned and looked at Kyle. "Thanks." He let his gaze wander before he asked, "What do I do now?"

"You come to my house for dinner."

Kenny frowned. "Kyle, I can't. It's such short notice..."

Kyle smiled back in an effort to lift Kenny's spirits. "my mom gave the invite. The rest of your family's coming too."

Sighing in defeat, Kenny rose from his seat and started climbing down the bleachers. When he reached the bottom, he looked at Kyle. "One day at a time?"

Kyle slung his arm around Kenny's shoulders and walked him toward his car. "One day at a time."

* * *

Ike and Karen were sitting on the floor while Kyle, Kenny, and Kevin sat on the sofa, watching a movie while Sheila and Karol were in the kitchen making dinner.

During the past two weeks this had become the routine for the Broflovski household. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Sheila would take Karol to chemo then to their support group. Then they would return to the Broflovski house and make dinner.

Stuart refused to come after the first get together, claiming they "didn't need no charity." And Kevin was busy with work and community college that tonight was only the second time he had been able to join. And since Karen and Ike were in the same grade, they would do homework together, leaving Kenny and Kyle with a lot of ime to talk.

But now the five of them were watching the latest Terrence and Phillip movie, glad to put worries behind them for a moment. Kyle took his eyes off the the screen and looked down at Karen and Ike, watching as Ike tried to scoot closer to Karen without anyone noticing. Kyle nudged Kenny and motioned towards the two on the floor.

Kenny snickered and turned his attention back to the movie, scooting a little closer to Kyle when Kevin stretched. He kept sneaking glances at Ike, silently cheering him on as he scooted ever so closer. When his fingers were millimeters away from Karen's, Kenny asked, "What're your guys plans for the weekend?"

Kyle watched as Ike stiffened when Karen's hand covered his own. "I was thinking we could play some basketball or something. Maybe get Stan and Cartman to join if we can pull them away from the girls long enough."

"Sounds like a plan." Kenny felt a little like his old self as he said, "So, what are you two lovebirds planning?" He laughed at the glare Ike shot at him.

Karen clasped Ike's hand a little tighter and said, "Don't think that's any of your business." She stuck her tongue out at him, then a mischievous grin similar to Kenny's crossed her face. "I don't ask you what you do with your boyfriend, so you can't ask me about mine."

Kenny felt himself blush—he _never_ blushed—to keep from drawing too much attention to it, he bounced off the couch and landed on Ike. He clutched the teen to his chest and said, "My darling! She figured us out!"

Karol and Sheila watched from the doorway, smiling at the sight of the impromptu wrestling match. They turned back to finish dinner, with Karol saying, "It's god to see Kenny start to perk up again. He's been taking it hard."

Sheila gave the other woman a hug, glad that she could give some small comfort to the McCormicks. "Kyle's been a real help. I think he helped Kenny talk about it."

Karol looked back into the living room ad watched Kyle dive into the pile of bodies as her eldest laughed from his spot on the couch. And caught the half-wistful look thrown in the redhead's direction by her middle child. "I hope he'll continue to be there for him."

Sheila caught the same look Karol did, but also saw tan answering fire in her oldest's gaze. "I think you don't have anything to worry about."

* * *

Kyle ran after the ball, getting it and dribbling it to half-court. "Go ahead, dude."

Kenny blew some of his hair out of his face. "Promise me you won't laugh."

Kyle weaved around him and shot from the free throw line, sinking the basket. "I'm not Cartman."

"True." Kenny sat down in the grass by the fence. "I need to take a breather."

Kyle walked over to the grass and sat down beside Kenny. He looked up at the sky and watched the clouds go by. "What's the big idea?"

"I was thinking about growing my hair out so I could donate it to the group that makes wigs for cancer patients." Kenny studied the grass on the side of him that was the furthest from Kyle and plucked out a three leaf clover. He mumbled to the clover, "You don't think that's a stupid idea, do you?"

Kyle smiled and tapped the blond's knee. I think it's a good idea." He fluffed his hair with one of his hands, a little surprised by how long it had grown in the short time since he'd cut his hair last. "Any particular reason you thought about it?"

Still unable to meet Kyle's eyes, Kenny said, "My mom's hair started to fall out."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kyle became swarmed with the memories of his mother's battle and remembered the feelings of helplessness over her condition. His hands went to his hair again. "I think I'll join you with that."

"Yeah?" Kenny turned and looked at Kyle's hair. He wound one of the bright red curls around his finger and admired the soft texture. He grinned and said, "You could make a killing in the wig business. How long ago did you cut it?"

"A few weeks ago," Kyle said as he watched Kenny play with the curl. He was struck by how fascinated the other boy seemed to be with his hair. He blurted out, "Do you think your mom would like my hair?"

Kenny pulled away as he spotted Stan and Cartman coming toward them. He stood up and looked down at Kyle. "I think she would love your hair." He turned and waved at the other two as Kyle rose. "I was starting to think I might have to give up on you two pussies ever showing up."

Stan rocked back on his heels as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I woulda been by sooner, but I got roped into helping my mom clean the basement."

Cartman grinned. "Well, I was occupied in a much more pleasant manner."

Kyle snorted and spun the basketball on his index finger in a practiced move. "I'm sure you were busy eating something to rapturous to pull away from"

The heavier boy smirked. "Of course I was." He brought his hand up to his mouth, his index and middle fingers in the shape of a V, and licked at the empty space between.

Kenny rolled his eyes and stole the basketball away from Kyle. He dribbled the ball as he said, "And the real reason you two are dating."

"What the fucks that supposed to mean?!"

Kenny smirked at the confused look on Cartman's face. "You'd eat anything put in front of you, fat ass."

Cartman turned red with anger. "Take that back!" He chased after Kenny, calling out, "Take it back, you fucker!"

Kyle and Stan stood on the sidelines as Cartman screamed at and chased after Kenny, the other boy's laughter echoing over the basketball court. Feeling strangely perceptive, Stan said, "He's harassing Cartman so the fat ass is too busy to ask questions."

Kyle nodded. "I'm glad he's talking to me though."

Stan stayed quiet, deciding not to comment on the way Kyle lit up at the sound of Kenny's laughter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Once Cartman was finished chasing Kenny, the group settled into a game of two-on-two: Cartman and Kyle against Kenny and Stan. After half an hour, Cartman decided he didn't care about the rules and started harassing everyone.

"Kenny! Quit staring at Kyle's ass."

"For fuck's sake, pass the ball, Stan!"

"How the fuck did I get the Jew on my team?"

After the third time Cartman told Kenny to quit staring at his ass, Kyle stopped what he was doing and asked, "What is your fucking preoccupation with my ass?"

Cartman smirked and pointed at Kenny. "I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

Kyle scoffed and threw the ball to Stan. "That's it. I'm out." He waved to the other two and said, "I'll see you guys later. And Cartman, do us all a favor and get the sand out of your vagina."

He heard Cartman's laughter as he walked away, but didn't look back. He was starting to get sick and tired of Cartman always picking on Kenny lately. Couldn't he see the other boy was going through a lot? It was bad enough that Kenny was still going out and solving his problems with violence-he saw the fresh bruising-with out Cartman adding to the mix. He felt his cheeks redden in anger and almost turned around to confront the other boy when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't let the fat ass get to you."

Kyle turned to face Kenny, telling himself his heart was pounding from the anger. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. "He just pisses me off sometimes."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know." He slid his hands into his pockets and kicked a rock past Kyle. His black eye from a few weeks ago had been replaced by another that had finally begun to fade, giving him a tough look. The wind ruffled his hair and he assessed his friend standing in front of him. "I can fight my own battles."

Kyle turned away and began walking back to his house as he attempted to keep his anger in check, finding himself fighting the urge to give Kenny a matching shiner. For a moment he imagined what would happen if he did it and the scenario that played through his head left him feeling breathless.

He didn't want that...right?

He peeked back at Kenny and not for the first time wondered what was hidden under the baggy clothes the other boy wore. He drug his hands through his hair and gave a tug of impatience as he tried to will the thoughts away.

Fingers closed over his and loosened them from his tresses. A chuckle followed then Kenny said, "You won't be able to donate any hair if you pull it all out."

Kyle let Kenny bring his hands down to his sides. "Why did you come after me?"

Kenny shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do." He matched his steps with Kyle's and headed in the direction of home. "Besides, right after you left, Cartman decided to go into detail what it was like eating Bebe out like I've never eaten pussy before."

"Glad I missed that." He was silent for a moment and asked, "What's it like?"

After stumbling for a second, clearly caught off guard by the question, Kenny recovered and thought about how to answer. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "It one of those things you have to experience for yourself. It'd be like asking a gay guy what it's like to suck dick. No one would ever really be able to answer your question to your satisfaction." He stuck his hands in his pockets and after a moment, pulled out what he'd been looking for. "I meant to show this to you earlier, but didn't want Cartman too see it."

Kyle took the index card from Kenny. Looking it over, he said, "You wanted me to know about auto parts?"

"Turn it over." When Kyle did so, he continued, "It has all the info for the wig thing."

"Thanks." He looked at the info then handed the card back to Kenny. "You're willing to commit to this? It could take a while for everything to grow out to the right length."

"It could, but I think I could do it." He grinned after a moment, then ruffled Kyle's hair. "I'm more worried about your hair. You might end up collapsing from under the weight of it."

Kyle shrugged. "If it's anything like my mom's, once it gets so long the weight will start to pull it straight." He pushed a random curl off his forehead. "I'm worried about what everyone will say about it."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Kenny said as he once again shoved his hands into his pockets. "Once word gets out about why you're doing it, you'll be drowning in pussy."

"You'll be drowning in pussy, dude. The girls will just wanna touch my hair."

Kenny reached out to touch Kyle's hair but caught himself just in time and shoved his hand back into his pocket. "You might have a point there." He played with the loose change in his pocket and added, "But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Yours is pretty soft and chicks dig soft hair."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Kyle mumbled as he spotted his house coming into view. Not exactly willing to let Kenny go just yet, he asked, "Any big summer plans?"

"Not really. Just trying to take one day at a time." Kenny smiled and nudged Kyle. "Decided to use some good advice I got from a friend."

Kyle smiled back. "How about we make plans to do something on Saturday? I was thinking we could go to the mall and get something for our moms."

"That'd be cool." They stopped in front of Kyle's house, facing one another while standing on the sidewalk. Unable to help himself, Kenny reached out and snagged one of Kyle's curls. He caught his friend's gaze and said, "You need to quit letting Cartman get to you. Just ignore him next time." He let the curl spring free and walked away, calling out, "See you Saturday!"

Kyle watched him walk away as he tucked the curl behind his ear, unaware of the person watching his and Kenny's exchange.

* * *

He and Kenny went out Saturday as planned, leaving for the mall after a game of basketball with Stan and Bebe, while Wendy and Cartman sat on the sidelines. As they were walking away, Cartman called out, "Enjoy your date!" earning a glare from Bebe.

Kyle snickered as he watched Cartman hang his head in penitence as he followed after Bebe. "I never thought I'd say this, but Bebe seems to be able to keep him in check."

"Gotta say I'm a little surprised too. Then again, she's always been pretty good at knowing what she wants." His eyes glossed over as he was lost to reverie, then shook his head to clear the thoughts. "What she wants is Cartman, apparently."

"No accounting for taste, I guess," Kyle said as he shrugged.

They walked in silence, stealing glances at one another, both wondering they had been reduced to this. After a few minutes, Kenny sighed and asked, "What did you plan to get your mom?"

Kyle thought for a second about whether or not he could tell Kenny, deciding that Kenny wouldn't say anything to Cartman if he was told in confidence. "My mom has this thing for angels. She thinks of it as a Christian thing, but absolutely adores them." He kicked at a pebble, sending it skittering in front of them. "There's this one she's had her eye on for a while now, but she thought it was too expensive for her to buy for herself."

"Maybe I can find something like that for my mom," Kenny said as the mall came into view. "Something pretty that lets her know I love her."

"I'm sure whatever you find for her will be perfect," Kyle said as he patted Kenny on the back. He pulled away and asked, "So...how's your dad taking everything?"

Kenny plastered a fake smile on his face and used a bright happy tone that belied his words. "He's been a miserable fucker and keeps threatening to leave my mom when she can't put out." His smile began to fade as he continued. "I'm glad Mom had half a brain to listen to your dad about setting the money up into trust funds or he would've drank through it already."

Kyle stood and listened as Kenny ranted about his father, feeling like these feelings had been building up for some time. Once he wound down, Kyle said, "I hope you feel better." He started walking to the mall again. "I'd just like to point out that it was super creepy to hear you use that happy tone the entire time."

"It's a gift," Kenny said as they entered the main entrance. His eyes scanned over the signage and his eyes lit up at the sight of a particular one. "Please tell me it's 'Touched By An Angel'."

They walked over to the store, Kyle making a beeline for the one he had in mind. It stood about two feet high and was made of a blue glass that started out transparent at the top, turning darker and more opaque once it reached the bottom. It was close to forty dollars, but Kyle thought it was worth it. He opened the box to make sure it was intact then shut the lid and carried it with him as he looked for Kenny. He found him near a display of pewter angels, carefully studying each one.

The one that caught his attention was of a young woman holding a sword toward the sky with wings nearly as large as her; it was labeled 'Fighter'. He picked up a box and said, "This is the one."

They went to the counter and paid for their purchases—both choosing to forgo gift-wrapping—then exited the mall. The sun was starting to go down as they began the trek home, making Kyle wish he'd asked to borrow the car. To keep his mind from lingering on bad thoughts, Kyle said, "I was thinking I'd give it to my mom on Monday. That way your mom could see it too."

"If you're going to do that, would you mind holding onto mine for me?" Kenny clenched his fists in anger. "I'm afraid of what my dad might do with it."

"No problem," Kyle said as something caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He started to look around, only for Kenny to put an arm around his shoulders and force him to look straight ahead.

Keeping his voice low, Kenny said, "They've been following us for a while now. I was hoping they would get bored and go away, but it looks like they thought we were easy targets." He looked ahead of them for a good place to carry out their confrontation, but didn't like the odds. He grabbed Kyle's hand and started to lead him toward the park. He whispered to the other boy, "As soon as we get to the park, I'm going to distract them and I want you to run away. Chances are these assholes aren't playing and I don't want you to get hurt."

He let himself be dragged along grateful for Kenny's ability to be able to plan on the fly. When they were almost inside the fence, Kyle asked, "How are you going to distract them?"

"Still working on it," he grunted out. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and managed to dodge the bottle thrown at him. He shoved Kyle ahead of him and turned his head in the direction the bottle had come from and spotted someone ducking out of sight. He muttered under his breath, "Fucking amateurs," and shifted his focus back to Kyle.

Kyle had turned around to look at Kenny and was bewildered by the calculating look in his friend's eyes. He stilled when he saw Kenny's gaze turn to him, suddenly moving away when he saw Kenny's motion to do so. He could feel his lungs burning from the effort to run, but as long as he could hear Kenny behind him, he'd keep running.

Kenny cursed and wished Kyle had worn a hat or something to cover up his hair, the bright red a beacon every time he ran under a streetlight. He caught up to Kyle and pulled him out of the path of another projectile. They stood still for a second before Kenny shoved Kyle behind him and faced their attackers. "You bitches are such fucking pussies! Come into the light and fight me!"

One of the punks stepped forward, playing with a switchblade. As he flicked his wrist, he said, "Such tough words for an unarmed kid."

Kenny snarled back, "Shows what the fuck you know." He glared back at Kyle and said, "Remember the plan." He turned back to the thug and taunted him, "Why don't you come at me, you big floppy vagina!?"

The punk hesitated, but found his courage and lunged at Kenny, spooked when the blonde didn't even flinch. "This isn't a toy, dumb ass. Just hand over the goods and I'll let you go."

Kenny handed his bag to Kyle then took a step toward the punk. He raised his chin and looked down his nose at the youth. His lips twisted into a sneer as he said, "Fuck you."

"You wanna be a fucking hero?" He flicked the blade out and lunged toward Kenny again, sneer on his face.

Kenny stood his ground—not noticing as the blade sliced through his abdomen—and gripped the guy's wrist. Holding the knife in place, he punched his attacker in the nose, breaking it, and followed up by kicking him in the nuts. Wincing, he pulled the knife out of the wound and threw it into the dirt. He spat at the punk and said, "Next time you fight someone, don't use a weapon. Weapons are for pussies."

He walked away from the group, keeping a hand pressed to his abdomen and hoped Kyle had run off. He pulled his hand away to gauge how fast he was losing blood; he had been certain that the bitch had nicked an artery, but it was taking awfully long to bleed to death.

"Sweet Jesus, Kenny," came Kyle's whispers from his right. Kyle pulled the blonde down into his hiding spot and saw the blood. "That's pretty bad, dude."

A soft chuckle escaped Kenny. "I've had worse." He brought a hand to Kyle's cheek and ran fingers over the soft skin. "I thought I told you to run."

Tears began slowly trailing down Kyle's face. He sniffled, "I couldn't leave you behind." He looked over the bushes concealing their hiding spot and saw the gang had left. "They're gone. Now we can get you help."

"Think I'm a little too far gone for that," Kenny said, panting as the pain started to take over. "I'm just glad you're safe."

The shallow breaths started to creep Kyle out. He clutched at Kenny, pulling him up into his lap as tears spilled onto the other's face. "Try to breathe. Don't die on me, damn it!"

"Don't worry about me," Kenny wheezed as he felt his life fading away. "Go home and I'll see you tomorrow."

Kyle shook his head, the tears falling earnestly now. And when the last shaky breath left Kenny's body, Kyle gathered him close and cried into his hair until there was nothing left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Kyle sat with Kenny's body on his lap for half-an-hour, nose pressed to his hair, attempting to memorize the scent as he attempted to will the boy back to life. Once the shock started to fade, he gently lifted the body off his lap, and looked around him before he left the area they had hid to call for an ambulance to take Kenny away. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and sighed when he saw that he had no reception. Great.

He crept back toward the hiding spot, wanting to reassure himself that his friend's body was still there where he'd left it. He didn't expect anything to happen, but this was South Park. Crazy shit happened all the time. He muttered to himself, "Once you know he's still there, you can go find a payphone and quit talking to yourself like you're a lunatic," stopping short when he found the spot.

Kenny's body was missing.

Kyle felt the panic begin to well up in his chest. He had been gone five minutes—at the most—and someone had stolen his friend's body out from under his nose. He dug his hands through his hair, gripping the curls tight and wondering who in their right mind would steal a body. He spotted their bags and picked them up, unwilling to let them leave his sight. He searched the area as best as he could, but it was like Kenny had vanished into thin air.

He walked home as fast as he could, sticking to well-lit areas, breathing a sigh of relief when he made it home unscathed. He hurried up to his room, not wiling to talk to anyone about what happened. He gathered up some clean clothes and ducked into the bathroom.

Turning the water on as hot as he could stand, he ducked under the spray and let the water neat down on him. He braced himself against the wall and wondered if there had been anything he could have done to stop it. He ran scenario after scenario through his head and was unable to come up with anything that didn't end up with on or both of them dying or ending up seriously wounded.

He turned the water off and stepped out, checking himself over for any injuries. He could see a bruise forming around his wrist from where Kenny grabbed him and pulled him out of the way of the bottle thrown at him. He didn't bruise that easily, but he had barely felt Kenny's grip at the time. He dried off and dressed before he crept back into his room, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't come across someone.

Knowing if he came across anyone he would blurt out the awful truth, Kyle elected to climb into bed. He pulled the covers over his head as if that would help shut out the knowledge that a few hours ago, he watched a friend die in his arms. He lay there worrying about what he was going to tell the McCormicks, deciding that he needed to tell them first thing in the morning. After all, they should be the first people to know. Maybe after, he could convince Kevin to go with him to search for Kenny's body.

Glad to have the start of a plan forming, Kyle let himself drift to sleep.

* * *

The next day came too soon. After a restless night plagued by uneasy dreams, Kyle finally roused himself out of bed and dressed. He slipped downstairs to the kitchen and ate his breakfast, knowing his body was going to need the fuel. He cleaned up then left after grabbing his keys. He had been tempted to grab his ushanka, but the day had already started to warm, so he settled for wearing a baseball cap instead. He pulled the cap low to shade his face and began his walk to the McCormicks.

It didn't take that long since it was only about a block away, but every step was agony as he practiced in his head what he was going to say. He couldn't exactly blurt out what had happened; maybe he could just tell Karol and Stuart first. Kyle stopped in his tracks as he thought, '_Karen's going to be __devastated_.'

He took a deep breath to keep from completely panicking, taking a moment to chastise himself. '_They need to know. You can panic later when you're alone again_.' He continued on, determined to get this over with. He strode up to the door and gave a few brisk knocks before stepping back to wait.

He held his breath as he waited, letting out in a large whoosh when the door opened and Kyle found himself staring at a familiar orange hoodie. At first, he could only see the sleeve and thought it was Karen opening the door. Then Kenny's face came into view and Kyle felt the tears spring to his eyes.

He blurted out, "You died in my arms!"

Kenny paled and his mouth opened in shock. He stood in silence as he watched Kyle stand before him, tears streaming down his face. He opened the door wider, stepping onto the stoop and shutting the door behind him, not wanting to wake up the rest of the house up. He pulled Kyle into a hug and let the other boy cry on his shoulder. His voice was full of awe as he said, "You remembered."

"I think it would be something that would be hard to forget," came Kyle's answer, muffled against Kenny's shoulder. He pulled away and framed Kenny's face in his hands, searching the other boy's face for something that would convince him this wasn't a dream.

Kenny sighed and brought his hands up to pull Kyle's away and create space between them. He frowned and said, "It wouldn't be the first time you forgot." He grabbed Kyle's wrist and started to lead both of them to a quiet spot in his backyard.

Kyle winced as pain shot up his arm as Kenny grabbed him around the bruise from last night. Keeping his voice low, he said, "What are you talking about? I've never seen you die before."

Kenny flashed him a look of annoyance, but silent until they were as far from the house as possible and still be on McCormick land. Once they arrived where Kenny knew they wouldn't be interrupted, he started talking. "I'm pretty sure we were in preschool the first time you saw me die. Third and fourth grade were pretty bad." He noticed he still had a hold of Kyle's wrist and dropped it so he could pace. He continued talking, his voice growing in intensity as he continued. "When you went through all that bullshit with your kidneys, I would've been the perfect candidate! After all, Cartman still has my fucking eyes! And another thing! Remember when Cartman corrupted Cthulhu? None of you fuckers believed me when I told you I couldn't die. I fucking shot myself in the head. Twice!"

Kyle watched as Kenny continued to pace and blow off steam, describing every time Kyle had watched him die. His eyes never left Kenny as the blond tugged at his hair in frustration, causing it to stick out like Tweek's. When Kenny paused to take a breath, Kyle said, "I'm sorry you've been so alone in this."

Kenny whipped around and locked gazes with Kyle's, his blue eyes slightly tinged with madness. "I wasn't alone. Fucking Cartman always knew. There were times the fat bastard wouldn't shut up about it." His face crumpled as a wave of sadness overcame him. "I only ever wanted someone to share this burden with, but the cost is too fucking high…"

Kyle caught Kenny in a hug and held him tight as the other boy cried for all the times he couldn't, causing Kyle to cry along with him. They clung to each other like two lost souls who had finally seen the light. He couldn't make out the words Kenny murmured into his hair, but he was fine with that. When he felt Kenny calm down, he pulled away, keeping a grip on Kenny's shoulders. "You've been carrying so much for so long, dude. I'm surprised you haven't snapped before now." He sat down on a patch of grass and pulled Kenny down with him. "I guess this is why your mom's diagnosis was so devastating."

"Part of it." Embarrassed by his outburst, Kenny kept his face away from Kyle. "I was also worried I caused it."

Confused, Kyle asked, "How could you have caused it? It's not the trade off for being immortal is it?"

Kenny shook his head. "If it had been, I would've told Cthulhu to take his deal and shove it." He let his head fall back as he studied the clouds to keep from looking at Kyle. "I guess I should start at the beginning."

A half-smile formed on Kyle's face. "That would be nice, but only if you really want to tell me."

Kenny looked at Kyle and smiled. "It'd be nice for someone to know the whole story. I'm about to tell you shit even Cartman doesn't know." He looked back toward his house as he started his story.

"It was a dark and stormy night when two redneck alcoholics decided to go to a cult meeting for the free beer. They stayed long enough to participate in a ritual that attempted to summon the Dark One. Instead of summoning him, they caused the woman to become pregnant with his agent."

Kenny's tone became darker as he continued. "The woman should've realized something was wrong when she tried to abort the fetus and it didn't take. But she decided it was God's will and didn't question it. After the baby was born, everything seemed fine until a few weeks after birth he died from SIDS. Not sure what to tell her husband, she buried the baby in the back yard. After midnight, she suddenly became pregnant and delivered within minutes."

"The baby delivered was identical to the infant she had buried in the backyard. She took care of the baby and the next morning when her husband went to work, she went out back and dug up the grave and didn't find a body. And until a few years ago, the constant cycle of death and rebirth continued."

Kyle opened his mouth to ask a question, then closed it again. Kenny's story, while fantastical, made enough sense to keep him from asking too many questions. The look in Kenny's eyes made him seem distant, but he knew if he asked questions, his friend would answer. He prodded, "What happened a few years ago?"

"Caught that did you?" A new sharpness entered Kenny's gaze. "I convinced Henrietta Biggle to help me contact Cthulhu. I managed to come up with a solution that appeased his sick sense of humor that left my mom out of the middle of it." A wry chuckle escaped him. "I'm pretty sure he'd get a good laugh at the position I'm in."

Confused at what Kenny meant by that, he started to ask, but he knew that if he just waited, Kenny would tell him when he was ready. He took a deep breath and processed what Kenny told him already. Thinking it through, he asked, "What happens now?"

Silence reigned for a moment. When Kyle thought Kenny might not answer, the blond softly spoke. "If I die, I start to heal, but I don't come back until I'm left alone for a few minutes. The first few times were disorienting as hell, but I've gotten used to it."

Kyle pulled off his ball cap and shook his hair out. He looked over at Kenny and realized his hair had already started to grow long. Before he could think about it, he asked, "Does dying affect your hair growth?"

Caught off guard by the question, Kenny laughed and ran a hand through his hair to check the length. "It might. I'm always hungry when I first wake up after, but I don't need to get hair cuts as often as you do."

A curl danced across his vision, causing Kyle to pull his ball cap back on. "You're lucky." Glad to see his friend was starting to feel better, he asked, "Who knows beyond Cartman and me?"

"Just my parents, but I'm pretty sure my dad's in denial about it." He pulled up a blade of grass and played with it. "Kevin and Karen might remember too, but I've never died in front of them…"

"So relatives-with the exception of Cartman and I-would remember." Kyle was thoughtful for a moment. "I guess that makes sense if you allow that that as your two closest friends we're additions to your family…"

"Hate to burst your bubble, but Cartman really is family," Kenny said with a smile, admiring how Kyle's brain worked. "Mom was a Tenorman before she and Dad married." He turned to the other boy and threw the grass at him. "Your friend idea had merit though. You're the first person to watch me die recently."

For some reason, Kenny latching onto his idea made Kyle bristle. Maybe Kenny was glad to have a reasonable answer. But that didn't explain why he was so distant when Kyle first saw him that morning. It was as if he had received some grand revelation. Which it was fine if he did, but it was pissing Kyle off. He could feel the color rising in his cheeks so he kept his gaze away as he choked out, "Glad I could give you some ideas."

Kenny slung an arm around Kyle's shoulder to comfort him. "Don't be like that. I'm glad that I have someone other than Cartman to talk about this shit with." He leaned his head into Kyle's as he said, "You've been a good friend to me these last few weeks; a better friend than I deserve."

Not a hugger by nature, Kyle nonetheless found himself leaning into Kenny's embrace. His anger had cooled a little, but was still threatening to take over. His feelings were just such a tangled mess right now that anger seemed the easiest one to identify. He pulled out of the embrace and said, "I don't feel like a good friend right now. I kinda want to punch you in the face for scaring me like that."

A laugh escaped Kenny as he leaned away. "I honestly thought you wouldn't remember. After dying so many times in front of an audience, I've forgotten what it's like for someone else." He lay back and stared at the sky, thoughts turning inward again. A sigh escaped him, then he turned his head toward Kyle and caught the other's gaze. "What would you do in my shoes?"

"Seriously?" Kyle drew his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on his knees as he thought about it. "I think I would have gone insane a long time ago. Not a lot of people can claim the mental fortitude it takes to survive something like that and not turn out absolutely batshit insane."

A grin broke out on Kenny's face at Kyle's complement. "When you put it that way, I'm glad I possess the 'mental fortitude' to survive." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and said, "There's something to be said about my physical fortitude as well."

"Fucking pervert," Kyle said with a chuckle. "I pay you a nice compliment about your brain and you turn it into something about your dick."

Kenny stood up and stared into Kyle's eyes, a devilish grin on his face. "One of my better qualities," he said as he snatched Kyle's hat off his head and made a run for it.


End file.
